Liberal Studies Courses

MLS 601 - Physical Science Concepts and Society(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Great concepts of modern physical science and their impact on society. The scientists and their creative insights; influence of governmental policies on science.

MLS 602 - Physics: Resonance With Reality(3 hours)Influence of historical and cultural notions (such as the world being organism, pure number, and total harmony) on creative minds of the West, and how these notions are enmeshed in modern physics theories and developments.

MLS 603 - Origins, Structure, and Dependability of Information(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Eastern and Western attitudes in the 20th Century concerning the source, nature, and accuracy of human knowledge. Analysis of artistic creativity, psychological experiments of left and right hemispheric brain activity, and methods of scientific discovery.

MLS 604 - Philosophical Foundations and Law(3 hours)"Law" as an idea and as seen from a general perspective. Existing and proposed laws are explored in terms of underlying, fundamental considerations to develop a meaningful concept of law in the context of the student's own life.

MLS 605 - A Philosophical Description of the Human Condition(3 hours)A rigorous investigation of our presuppositions about what a "better" way of being human should be, in context of developments in the life sciences that allow persons to alter or modify their own nature.

MLS 606 - The Development of Social Thought(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Survey of theoretical perspectives for critical social science; emphasis on classic socio-economic thought of the 19th and 20th century. Construction of a theoretical framework for critical analysis of late industrial societies. Importance of Marxian theory to analyses of cultural forms and quality of everyday life. Relation of thought and social structures; doctrine of ideology; social organization of scientific and intellectual activities; processes of bureaucratization, rationalization, and alienation; social status; the role of intellectual activity in processes of revolution and social criticism.

MLS 608 - American Egalitarianism and Mass Education(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Investigation of the ambivalence in American culture and educational philosophy between commitment to mass education as a force for democratization and suspicion of the educated as fostering an undemocratic elitism. The effects of this ambivalence on American education.

MLS 609 - Popular Music and Poetry in the Twentieth Century(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Techniques and broad historical outlines of all forms of twentieth-century music and poetry. Emphasis on the inter-relatedness of the two arts, and on familiar popular forms. Practice writing, analyzing, and criticizing popular music and poetry.

MLS 610 - Weimar Germany: Culture and Politics Before Hitler(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Interdisciplinary, conceptual study of the profound changes that shaped the evolution of Weimar Germany. The disintegration of the values of old Germany, post-World War I alienation, and Weimar political and economic chaos as contrasted with the enormous creativity that brought forward exciting developments in art, film, architecture, science, literature, and popular culture.

MLS 611 - Contemporary World Issues(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Sophisticated analysis of major contemporary international issues such as relations among industrial societies, the North-South dialogue, nationalism, and global economic problems. No more than four issues will be explored in depth in any one semester. Prerequisite: graduate standing.

MLS 612 - Perspectives On United States International Relations(3 hours)Gen. Ed. In-depth analysis of United States foreign relations from North American, European, Asian, African, and Latin American perspectives. Prerequisite: graduate standing.

MLS 613 - The Energy Situation: An Overview(3 hours)Gen. Ed. In-depth study of the U.S. and world energy situation, problems and methods associated with energy production, and effects of various factors such as population on the energy problem. Technical, social, economic, political, and moral implications of the energy situation. Prerequisite: graduate standing.

MLS 614 - Cultural Dimensions of Psychological Theory(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Ideological roots of psychological science in American culture. Social science understandings of the good person and the good society.

MLS 615 - Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion in the Works of William James(3 hours)How William James brought together studies in psychology, philosophy, and religion to develop a comprehensive theory of human nature. James's writings as an exemplary attempt to build a model of human experience in its many and varied expressions (philosophical anthropology).

MLS 616 - Female and Male Origins of Sex Differences in Behavior(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Critical analysis of research findings and theories concerning the origin and development of differences in the behaviors of females and males; psychological, sociological, and biological factors.

MLS 617 - All Reality Is Astronomy(3 hours)Gen. Ed. The impact of astronomy on our present culture; our place in the cosmic environment. Planetarium scenarios and models display visually how various cultures in the past viewed our place in the universe, and also project modern cultural and cosmic views and theories. A cooperative venture with Lakeview Planetarium.

MLS 618 - Controversial Issues in Biology(3 hours)Gen. Ed. A detailed examination of the important topical issues that are currently under intense debate in biology. Topics such as genetic engineering, the patenting of life forms, sperm banks, and nuclear waste disposal discussed from a scientific, political, moral, and religious point of view.

MLS 619 - Controversial Psychological Issues and Society(3 hours)Topics in psychology that have stimulated heated controversy in both the professional and public arenas because of their potential impact on individuals and on society. Topics such as control of human behavior, use of psycho-surgery, effectiveness of psychotherapy, effects of televised violence, and states of altered consciousness.

MLS 620 - Literature and Society(3 hours)The primary social theories of literature; the relationships between society and literature as an institution; and literary documents themselves.

MLS 621 - Communicating Change and Innovation(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Basic communication principles used in creating change and having change and innovation adopted by people and/or organizations. Practical examples used to demonstrate effective communication channels and means for getting change accepted.

MLS 622 - The Places We Inhabit: Design of Our Cities and Towns(3 hours)Physical structure or tissue of human settlements; urban emphasis. Their physical evolution, common universal characteristics, and unique differences; their value, importance, and integrity. The ideal or Utopian human settlement. Global and local examples. Prerequisite: enrollment in the M.L.S. program.

MLS 623 - Death and Dying: An Interdisciplinary Inquiry(3 hours)Interdisciplinary investigation of the human experience of death. Modernism and death, religion and death, euthanasia, the mourning and bereavement process, psychoanalytic interpretation of death anxiety.

MLS 624 - The North American Frontier in Literature(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Literature relating to the North American Frontier as both a body of themes and as a group of conditions surrounding literature: gender, genre, language, region, and nationalism. United States, Canadian, Colonial, and European literatures.

MLS 625 - Music and Western Society(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Relationship of music to other areas of human endeavor. Basic elements of music; various beliefs and myths about music. Required concert attendance.

MLS 626 - Three Ideas That Formed Western Culture(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Diagnostic examination of the origins in Greek, Hebrew, and Roman antiquity of three pillars of Western culture: Protestant Christianity, natural science, and democratic self-government. Prerequisite: graduate standing.

MLS 627 - Religion in the Modern World(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Sociological, psychological, and philosophical issues confronting religion in the late twentieth century.

MLS 628 - The Western Legal Tradition(3 hours)Gen. Ed. A survey of Western legal history from the Roman Republic to the present.

MLS 629 - Critical Thinking and Reasoning(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Study of critical thinking, defined as the ability to weigh evidence judiciously in making decisions. Application of the scientific method to everyday decision making. Examination of examples from a broad array of disciplines and media. Prerequisite: graduate standing.

MLS 630 - Nature Writers and Writing(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Selected American nature writers from Thoreau to the present, concentrating on the cultural implications of the genre for writers, general readers, and environmentalists.

MLS 632 - The Pacific Century: U.S.- Asian/Pacific Relations Since 1900(3 hours)Examines America's role and influence in the rise of Japanese and Chinese power and the meaning and significance of the Korean and Vietnam wars.

MLS 633 - Issues in Higher Education(3 hours)Gen. Ed. Covers both controversial and topical issues in higher education. Examination of the myriad of issues (sometimes changing daily) that occur in higher education, the challenges and opportunities facing higher education, and the nature and complexity of universities and higher education.

MLS 634 - Understanding Cancer(3 hours)Cancer is one of the most prevalent and publicized diseases in most of the world, yet the general nature of the disease is not well understood by most of the population. Discussion of a myriad of issues related to the disease of cancer from a definition of the disease to the types, treatments, and causes. Opportunity to discuss the disease with a medial oncologist, radiation oncologist, and cancer geneticist. Students who successfully complete the course will have general knowledge and understanding of the many aspects of cancer. They will also be able to intelligently discuss cancer issues and be able to answer general questions about the disease.

MLS 690 - Independent Study(3 hours)Student pursues a topic of interest in depth under the guidance of a single instructor. Subject must naturally evolve from study undertaken in one or more courses in the student's MLS program. To be undertaken only after 21 semester hours have been completed.

This Catalog represents the University’s best effort to communicate information on academic programs, policies, rules, and regulations that were in effect at the time of its publication. Students should be aware that the University reserves the right to modify these programs, policies, rules, and regulations at any time within a student’s term of residence. The University’s policy is to provide notice of any such modifications sufficiently in advance of their implementation to ensure adjustments without undue inconvenience. Before pre-registering for any academic term, students should contact the administrative office of their academic department or college to verify the most current information.